French artist to perform in HCMC

Renowned French singer Patricia Kaas will give a solo performance for charity at Ho Chi Minh City’s Ben Thanh Theatre on May 19.

“Kaas Chante Piaf” concert, organised by Poussieres de Vie - a non-governmental organisation (NGO), will provide an opportunity for audiences to listen to a series of famous singer Édith Piaf’s songs covered by Kaas.

The hits include La vie en rose (Pink Life), L'hymne à l'amour (Love Song), and Non, je ne regrette rien (No, I do not regret anything).

Patricia Kaas was the first western singer to perform in Hanoi and HCM City in 1994, as part of the Asian tour, at the invitation of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

She steals the show with many successful tours in North Asia, including Japan and the Republic of Korea.

The ticket price of the concert is around VND 500,000-VND5 million. All proceeds will be donated to help Vietnamese disadvantaged children.

Local reporter displays stone collection

HCMC-based reporter Han Tan, the editor-in-chief of Kien thuc Ngay nay magazine, yesterday opened a stone exhibition at Xa Loi Pagoda in HCMC to mark the ongoing Vesak 2014 celebration in Vietnam.

The exhibition features 98 zen stones among the 150 which Tan has collected in the past 30 years in Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Lam Dong provinces.

He started stone collections in the 1980s after having discovered natural prints of stones having meanings. Those stones are believed to contain stories about human beings and their creator.

Visitors to the event, which runs until May 13, can suggest naming the stones on display. Xa Loi Pagoda is located at 89 Ba Huyen Thanh Quan Street, District 3.

Vung Tau to host Int’l Kite Festival

The 5th International Kite Festival will take place in the southern coast city of Vung Tau from May 8 to 12 with the participation of about 120 local and international artisans, reports Tuoi Tre.

The festival will feature numerous activities such as a tutorial on kite crafting and handling, Japanese-style kite fighting (rokkaku), free-form and artistic kite fl ying, Sao (musical flute) kite competition, and framed single line and frameless kite flying.

According to Quan Hang Cao, deputy head of the organizing committee, highlights of this year’s festival include an original kite design inspired by Teu and Tien, two Vietnamese favorite folk characters, third-generation kites by Belgian makers and the 600-year-old kite flying contest originated in Vu Thu in the northern province of Thai Binh.

Vietnam to hold film month in Paris

Vietnam’s film month called “Canh Dieu Vang” (Golden Kite) will be held in Paris at the Vietnam Cultural Center in France and Pleiade – Cachan movie theater from May 21 to June 21, reports Sai Gon Giai Phong.

The event, jointly organized by the Vietnam Cultural Center in France and the Vietnam Cinema Association, will screen locally acclaimed movies such as dramas Long Th anh cam gia ca (song of string instrument player in Long Thanh), Nhung nguoi viet huyen thoai (The Legend Maker) and Than Tuong (Idol); three cartoons Xe dap (Bicycle), Bo vang (Golden Cow), Khoang troi (Sky Space); and documentary Co Mot Co Hoi Bi Bo Lo (Missed Opportunity).

Unique Non La Theater slated to open July in Bac Lieu

A unique Non La (conical hat) Theater, also known as Cao Van Lau Theater, will be debuted in July in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu.

The construction was introduced on the occasion of the first traditional Don ca tai tu (traditional music of southern Vietnam) festival which wrapped up on Monday. It is located in Hung Vuong Square of Bac Lieu City and is considered the most modern theater in the Mekong Delta.

The theater named after Cao Van Lau, the father of the most popular Don ca tai tu song called Da co hoai lang, has the shape of three conical hats that symbolize the culture of southern Vietnam.

It was broken ground last December with steel and composite used as main materials. It is located next to a lake covering an area of 1,800 square meters. Th ere are three areas of A, B and C. Hall A has a capacity of 850 seats for traditional art performances.

Hall B is a convention center and Hall C is for exhibition. The highest conical hat is 24.25m and the largest diameter is 45.15m.

Japanese ceramics in town

Japanese ceramics are increasingly in vogue in HCMC with many Saigonese rushing to Japanese supermarkets such as Hachi Hachi, Akurushi, Tokutokuya and Seii Chi on weekends to look for discounted products.

“Each item at Seii Chi sells for VND20,000 to VND80,000, which are attractive prices for buyers,” said Ha, the owner of the store in HCMC’s District 3. She added they like Japanese products because of their quality, models and colors.

On weekends, they patiently wait in long queues for new arrivals. Cups are priced at VND30,000 to VND50,000 each in Japanese stores.

Thang, the owner of Tokutokuya supermarket in districts 1 and 3, said the Japanese ceramics are greatly sought after as they have clear origin, are competitively priced and contain no toxic substances.

Akurushi is dedicated to products for Japanese restaurants and families living in HCMC with prices ranging from VND40,000 to VND1 million apiece.

Workshop for photographers set for mid-May

Hanoi Goethe Institute will host a full-day workshop on May 16 for photographers who want to get a professional feedback on their photos from two professionals, Aaron Joel Santos and Matthew Dakin.

Participants are required to prepare 20 photos for the workshop from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Through their discussions with the two photography gurus, they can share their passion for photography and garner new skills and techniques to bring soul and emotion to their creations.

The photographs taken by New Orleans-born Aaron Joel Santos, who has lived in Vietnam since late 2007, depict the strangeness and beauty in everyday life in Southeast Asia, a kind of attainable exoticism, a wonderful and weird world that is both familiar and unexpected. Santos’s works have been published and his travels throughout the region have been well documented by magazines and newspapers around the world.

Matthew Dakin embraces a strong desire to explore his Vietnamese roots, so he set off for Southeast Asia where he got fond of the raw elegance of Hanoi and decided to move to live in Hanoi in 2002. Dakin explores and captures an intriguing and dynamic Vietnam, whether in architecture, portraiture, or fine art photography.

Goethe Institute is located at 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street in Hanoi.

Danang celebrates Vesak with giant floating lotuses

Artificial lotus flowers are set up on the Han River in the central coast city of Danang yesterday to mark the Vesak (the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death).

Each giant flower is made of 15 petals covered with pink cloth, measuring four meters in diameter and two and a half meters in height, and weighs about 500kg.

There are seven flowers in total, supported by 70 large barrels and linked together in the river section between the Rong (dragon) and Han bridges.

The lotuses are illuminated in the evening until the end of the Vesak week. Main celebration activities will take place at Linh Ung Pagoda.

A fl ower parade is also planned by the city on the occasion.

Seven lotuses symbolize the seven steps that Gautama Buddha took right after he was born and also represent the country’s wishes for peace and security.

Vietnamese cultural heritage introduced in Australia

An exhibition introducing Vietnam’s cultural heritage opened in Perth city on May 6 on the occasion of the Western Australian Heritage Festival 2014, which is taking place from April 18.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Vietnamese Consul General Le Viet Duyen highlighted the special value of Vietnamese cultural heritage, including elements recognised by UNESCO as world heritage.

He also introduced participants to traditional porcelain products, water puppetry and the calligraphy of the country.

Simon Farben, a representative from the Australia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, praised Vietnam’s cultural heritage, saying that it also enriches cultural life in his country.

He said he hopes that the exhibition will help further promote mutual understanding between the two countries’ people.

Running until May 18, the Western Australian Heritage Festival 2014 aims to honour the cultural heritage of communities in the multiethnic country.

Vietnam now has 19 pieces of heritage recognised by UNESCO as globally significant.

Various exhibitions mark Dien Bien Phu victory

“President Ho Chi Minh and Dien Bien Phu Victory” is the name of an exhibition that opened on May 6 at the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi, as part of the activities marking the 60th anniversary of the victory and 124th birthday of the late leader.

The exhibition, with nearly 200 photos, artifacts and documents, aims to highlight the peace-loving spirit and efforts of President Ho Chi Minh to avoid the war between Vietnam and France. The creative military policies applied in the Winter-Spring campaign of 1953-1954 by the Party and the late leader have also been spotlighted.

The victory at Dien Bien Phu, a strategically important air-infantry base controlled by the French, on May 7, 1954, helped end French colonial rule in Vietnam, and has since become a symbol of national strength.

Also on May 6, the Museum of Culture of Vietnam’s Ethnic Groups in the northern province of Thai Nguyen started an exhibition to showcase 100 photos taken by reporters of the Vietnam News Agency.

The photos tell stories on the milestones in the struggle against the French, particularly the Dien Bien Phu victory. They also highlight the achievements that Den Bien province has made over the past six decades.

Visitors to the exhibition, which will run until May 31, can also take part in activities that help them experience some of the daily life of Dien Bien soldiers, including digging tunnels and transporting ammunition.

In the northern port city of Hai Phong, former Dien Bien Phu soldiers presented the Hai Phong Museum with their own war remembrances that they have kept for the last 60 years, in the hope of showing the younger generations how they lived and fought during the unforgettable days of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign.

On the occasion, the museum introduced the public to more than 100 photos and items related to the national resistance struggle against the French.

Meanwhile, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, in conjunction with the provincial Military High Command and War Veterans Association, commenced an exhibition displaying photos, newspapers, books and documents related to the Dien Bien Phu victory that were collected from inside and outside the country.

The organisation board is also holding film screenings on the battle to serve visitors until the event is closed on May 16.

War-time placards put on display

A number of posters used during the 1946-1954 resistance war against French forces to boost the morale and will of Vietnamese people and soldiers are being showcased at the Vietnam National Museum of History in Hanoi.

The posters, mostly by unknown painters, were considered as tools to raise awareness of the Party and State policies guiding all members of society.

Several of the tools used to print these posters are on display.

The exhibition, scheduled to stay open till the end of July, aims to introduce to the public the publicity campaigns that contributed to the country’s triumph in the resistance war, the peak of which came with the Dien Bien Phu victory in May 1954.

Kate festival mirrors Cham people’s rich culture

Kate festival, the largest of the Cham ethnic people in the central province of Ninh Thuan in the year, aims to honour male deities and ancestors who extended great help to people.

Kate festival takes place in the seventh month of the Cham people’s calendar and it usually falls in October.

Festival activities are held in three tower temples in Ninh Thuan province at the same time and on the same day. The rituals are similar in content.

It includes a ceremony to receive Goddess Po Nagar's costumes in Huu Duc hamlet, Phuoc Huu commune, Ninh Phuoc district.

Goddess Po Nagar is said to be the ancestor of the Cham people who taught them how to grow rice and cotton, weave clothing and carry out cultural activities in their daily lives.

All the royal costumes at Cham tower temples are kept by the Raglai people. Therefore, at the Kate festival, the Cham people have to perform a ceremony to welcome the Ragrai people who bring the costumes to the Cham tower temples.

The ceremony starts at 1.30 pm and ends at 9 pm in the hamlet's temple.

Offerings to Goddess Po Nagar include betel and areca, eggs, chicken, fruits and Tet cake.

The festival is also an occasion where the participants can enjoy unique folk singing, dancing and music. They can dance with Cham people and relax with Gi nang drumming and Saranai trumpeting. The festival serves as evidence for the cultural richness of the Vietnamese.

Apart from festive activities in the community, the Cham people also celebrate the festival in their families.

In the past, the festival usually lasted for one month in their families but today, it is shortened to three days.

On the first day, family members gather to prepare traditional cakes and offerings.

On the second day, they join rituals at pagodas.

On the third day, they conduct worship to implore ancestors and deities to support them in life.

On this occasion, each family prepares cakes and fruits to invite relatives and friends to visit and congratulate each other.

There are about 153,000 Cham people in Vietnam, including approximately 72,500 people in Ninh Thuan, who live in 22 hamlets.

The Cham people in Ninh Thuan still preserve several unique folk festivals like Kate, Ramawan and Rija Nagar.

Phu Dong temple becomes special national relic

Phu Dong Temple in the capital’s Gia Lam district received a certificate recognising it as a special national relic site at a ceremony on May 5.

The place of worship was initially erected by King Hung Vuong VI before being rebuilt in the 11 th century by King Ly Thai To, the founder of the Ly dynasty, after he moved the capital city from Hoa Lu-Ninh Binh to Thang Long, present-day Hanoi.

The temple is dedicated to a Vietnamese national saint, Thanh Giong, one of the four immortals in Vietnamese folk belief.

The ceremony was held to kick off the Saint Giong festival, one of the most popular spiritual celebrations in the Red River Delta, which was recognised as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity by the UNESCO in 2010.

With various traditional games and art performances, the three-day event promotes the Vietnamese people’s determination to fight foreign invaders for peace and prosperity.

Vice Chairman of the district’s People’s Committee Nguyen Ngoc Thuan said local authorities and people will do their utmost to preserve and promote the temple’s cultural heritage values as well as popularise the festival among both domestic and foreign tourists.

Legend has it that Saint Giong was born to a virgin mother after she put her foot on a giant footprint in a field. However, the boy could not speak, laugh or cry even by the time he was three years old.

Upon hearing the news of an invasion from the North, he persuaded the King to grant him an iron horse, iron lance and iron armour. When the objects were brought to him, the boy turned into a giant and used the weapons to defeat the aggressors to save his country and people. After that he rode his horse to fly up to heaven. These days, he is worshipped as an immortal.

Besides Phu Dong Temple, Hanoi has four other places that have been named as special national relics. They are Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son temple complex, Tay Dang communal house, and the temples of Hat Mon and the Trung Sisters.

Hue Festival creates a bond among participating nations

During its nine festivity-filled days, the 2014 Hue Festival revived several unique ceremonies and cultural programmes imbued with Vietnamese cultural identities and achieved its objective of bringing the arts to the community, according to the Nhan Dan (People) online newspaper.

Focusing on the theme “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development”, this year’s festival was the biggest yet, with the participation of 43 international delegations from five continents and 23 domestic art troupes, all of whom delighted audiences with nearly 100 arts programmes on 15 stages around Hue city.

In addition, the artists delivered free performances for locals in the districts and towns in Thua Thien – Hue province. Patients at Hue Central Hospital and Hue Medical and Pharmaceutical Hospital had a chance to enjoy music and dances by The Amigos from the US, La Colmenita from Cuba and Los Andes from Chile.

A street carnival which was held in the main streets of Hue to create an exciting atmosphere for the public received an enthusiastic response from visitors.

Mobile stages were set up on roadsides and at factories so that people from all walks of life could meet with famous singers, dancers and musicians from Vietnam and abroad.

“Hue Festival has brought joy to everyone and has created a bond among all participating nations. It also strengthened the solidarity and love among humans”, said Gonzalo Olmos, leader of the Chilean art troupe.

The festive atmosphere also spread to rural areas during the rural market held in Thuy Thanh commune, Huong Thuy town, where manual agricultural production practices were demonstrated by local residents. The event, which attracted around 9,000 visitors, encouraged the full participation of the public, making them major actors in organising activities as well as enjoying them.

According to Ngo Hoa, head of the festival’s organising board and vice chairman of the Thua Thien-Hue provincial People’s Committee, the festival was held under the motto of “Impression – Friendliness – Safety”, in which ensuring visitors safety was placed above all else. Relevant agencies made every effort to maintain security, social order and traffic safety. Therefore, the event created satisfaction among holidaymakers, as they were prevented from falling prey to tourist traps and were provided with attractive tourist products.

Over the first three days, Hue received nearly 50,000 visitors, roughly 22,000 of whom were foreigners. The number of visitors continued to increase sharply on the subsequent days, and the total reached 2.4 million by closing day - an increase of 25% over the previous edition in 2012. This figure includes 100,000 foreign visitors from 115 countries and territories.

The increase in tourist numbers and the improvement in the professionalism of event organisation are heartening signs for the festival’s organisers, according to Phan Tien Dung, director of the Thua Thien – Hue provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The festival’s success contributed to boosting tourism, attracting investment for develop tourist services, and helping to bring cultural value to tourist activities.

Vietnam broadens partnership in heritage preservation

Vietnam has proactively expanded its cooperation with other countries and international organisations in preserving and upholding values of UNESCO-recognised heritage pieces, a representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has said.

Katherine Muller-Marine, Chief Representative of the UNESCO office in Vietnam added that in recent years, the organisation has also intensified its cooperation with the country by providing financial assistance and training staff tasked with preservation duties.

Vietnam has joined many international conventions related to the preservation of cultural and natural heritage. As a member of the World Heritage Committee since 2013, the country has also led an initiative forming a network to connect the world’s heritage sites with its biosphere reserves and national parks.

Dang Van Bai, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association, said the country boasts many experienced experts on maintaining heritage pieces, which has been illustrated through the effectiveness of the preservation in the Hue Imperial Citadel and Hoi An ancient town.

However, he noted, Vietnam is short of finance for the work since conservation activities requires a large sum of money. Meanwhile, a dearth of professional and foreign language skills of the personnel along with an influx of visitors to recognised heritage sites is also deemed as problematic.

Muller-Marine said like many other countries, Vietnam is facing the question of how to preserve heritage pieces while making use of their value, for example through developing tourism.

To deal with such a quandrum, she suggested the country protect heritage even before it is officially recognised as an international treasure.

She added that preserving and upholding values of heritage pieces is a responsibility of authorities at all levels and people in society.

Soldiers armed with pens fought at Dien Bien Phu

The dramatic events occurring on the Dien Bien Phu battlefield in 1954 were reported every day in a hand-produced newspaper printed and distributed on the battlefield.

Indeed, the journalists and others involved in the effort, were classified as soldiers because they were using special weapons - their pens – to fight for victory.

Many of those involved in writing and publishing the paper, titled Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People's Army), met last week in Ha Noi and shared their memories. It was produced using a rudimentary hand-operated printer.

Ninety-one-year-old journalist Nguyen Khac Tiep said 33 issues of the newspaper were actually published on the battlefield with contributions from five reporters, including himself.

"We took simple printing equipment to the battlefield and joined in the operation with the soldiers," he said. "The newspapers were printed in a dug-out trench shelter under light from a flickering oil lamp."

Vice Chairman of the Viet Nam Journalists Association Ha Minh Hue said that the stories, photos and video clips produced during the battle were precious historical documents.

Besides Quan Doi Nhan Dan, other media agencies, including Radio the Voice of Viet Nam, the Vietnam News Agency and Nhan Dan (People) also produced news on a daily basis during the Dien Bien Phu campaign.

Stamp collection marks Dien Bien Phu anniversary

The Ministry of Information and Communications and the People’s Committee of Dien Bien Province launched a stamp collection for the “Celebration of the 60th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory” on May 5.

The stamps, designed by painter To Minh Trang, depict the Dien Bien Phu Victory Statue and a blooming bauhinia (ban), a common flower in the northwestern region.

A photo exhibition titled “Dien Bien Phu – a 60-year immortal epic” with 120 pictures opened in Hanoi on May 5.

They were shot by Vietnam News Agency and other photographers who covered the Dien Bien Phu Campaign.

The display is divided into two parts -- the Dien Bien Phu Campaign and Dien Bien at Present.

The exhibition, on at the VNA head office at 5 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, will remain open until May 12.